ACL 1
BRYANSFORD BAFFLED
Bryansford 1-5 Rostrevor 1-11
What a topsy turvy league season this has been so far. Nothing exemplified it better than this Division One clash at St Patricks Park. Ford, coming off the back of a spectacular win in Hilltown the previous Friday looked like a team with nothing but the highest expectations as they warmed up beforehand. Rostrevor, with wholesale changes from the team lucky to draw at home against bottom-of-the-table Attical, looked like a side in disarray.
COMPOSED
Yet it was the visitors who played the more composed football on the evening, good value for their six point victory margin, even if they did need two fine saves from young goalkeeper Padraig Mulholland in the last five minutes to see them through! Reds, with Shaun Parr playing some scintillating football through midfield, were 0-3 to 0-1 up by the end of the opening quarter, despite the early threat from Colm kearney, who had opened the scoring after just two minutes. But the visitors replied impressively. Colm Clerkin kicked an excellent point, Patrick McGreevey tip-toed along the end line to fist them in front and Conor Daly added a free after eleven minutes. And with three minutes left in the half, Reds had increased their lead to 0-6 to 0-3, Great Play from Shaun Parr and Colm Clerkin set up the latter for a fourth point and two Conor Daly frees cancelled out one from Conor Gribben and a breakaway score from Joseph Ireland. But all of a sudden, Bryansford were back, when Gary Farrell made a rare handling error, and Gribben pounced to put Michael Valentine in for an equalising goal. Indeed, it could have been worse for Reds, for in a rocky spell just before the interval, young Mulholland had to fling himself full-length to beat down another goalbound shot, this one from Gareth Toner!
SUBS
Two substitutions seemed to have tipped the balance in Fords favour by the end of the third quarter. First Aidan Cole, who had pulled the strings for the reds on the 40, and who hit two very good points to leave his side 0-8 to 1-4 up after 41 minutes, had to retire injured. Then Ford sprung Ciaran Brannigan off the bench. Brannigan certainly spiced up the flagging Bryansford attack, but Coles departure prompted Aidan Farrell to move Conor Daly up to the forty, and that posed a whole new set of problems for the home rearguard. First daly raced half the length of the field to stretch Reds lead, and then , in the 50th minute, a gorgeous pass from Eamon McConville sent Sean Farrell galloping through to beat Peter Travers! 1-9 to 1-4 up, Rostrevor now had to hold out against a Brannigan-inspired onslaught, but, thanks to two super saves from Padraig Mulholland, all the little corner forward managed to add to his sides tally was a single point, and reds closed out the match with further points Conor Mackin and Lloyd Parr, with young Mackin unlucky not to have rounded it off with a goal when he cut through the defence only to shoot into the side-netting.
IMPRESSIVE
Reds continue to baffle, though tis time it was the sort of bafflement their supporters wont complain about. Once the wily Gary Farrell got the measure of Conor Gribben, their defence was generally on top, with Eamon McConville and Colm Murney especially prominent at half back. Shaun Parr had a sparkling hour at midfield, with Conor Mackin and Aidan Cole doing well at half forward and Colm Clerkin ever a threat in the full forward sector. But even though they were the better team, they still needed special heroics from Padraig Mulholland to take the points they deserved.
DISAPPOINTING
Bryansford were disappointing. Their attack had promised much early on, with Colm Kearney and Joseph Ireland to the fore, but the final fifteen minutes showed just how much they needed the fizz provided by Ciaran Brannigan. Defensively, Stephen Toner, Luke Howard and Aidan Shields were sound, but more might have been expected from a midfield pairing as experienced as Simon Poland and Adrian Carville.
Bryansford scorers; Michael Valentine [1-0]; Conor Gribben [0-1 1 free; Colm Kearney [0-1]; Joe Ireland [0-1]; Christopher Brannigan [0-1] 1 free; Ciaran Brannigan [0-1]
Rostrevor scorers; Conor Daly [0-4] 3 frees; Sean Farrell [1-0]; Colm Clerkin [0-2]; Aidan Cole [0-2]; Patrick McGreevey [0-1]; Conor Mackin [0-1]; Lloyd Parr [0-1] 1 free.
Bryansford team; Peter Travers; Ciaran Fitzpatrick, Stephen Toner, David Morgan; Luke Howard, Aidan Shields, Jonathan Cunningham; Adrian Carville, Simon Poland; Gareth Toner, Joseph Ireland, Christopher Brannigan; Michael Valentine, Conor Gribben, Colm Kearney.
Sub used; Ciaran Brannigan
Rostrevor team; Padraig Mulholland; Eddie Magee, Gary Farrell, Jarlath Farrell; Eamon McConville, Colm Murney, Conor Daly; Shaun Parr, Jarlath Austin; Conor Mackin, Aidan Cole, Sean Farrell; Lloyd Parr, Patrick McGreevey, Colm Clerkin.
Subs used; Turlough Murphy;
Man of the match: Padraig Mulholland [Rostrevor]